SBin Art Plus, whose mission is to promote local and regional appreciation of definitive Singapore art to the discerning art collector, presents Unchanged For 50 Years, a solo exhibition by Seah Kang Chui, President of Singapore Watercolour Society.
Seah’s homage to the enduring beauty of places he has lived in was the inspiration behind this series of 30 watercolour paintings. Depicting kampong scenes in Buangkok, Seletar Camp, Seletar River as well as the Singapore River, Seah aims to capture the charms of these four sites that have managed to remain undisturbed by major developments and redevelopments taking place around them.
Portraying greenery, trees, and landscapes, each piece in this series encapsulates a complexity of richness and hue which bears textures found only in Singapore, gathering the luminous tropical light that creates a sense of place – from the brown worn wooden walls of a kampong house, to the invigoratingly fresh and lively greens of tall palms. Always seeking to infuse his emotions into each of his paintings, Seah’s story unfolds in these four locations, which are his loving memories five decades ago.
According to curator Bridge Tracy Tan, the works that constitute the repertoire in this exhibition “represent the depth of both memory and current representation, melding together a vision that is sensitive to the soul of a landscape, compelled by the souls of its inhabitants, their way of life, their spirit of community, their value of time and place. Seah is unapologetic about his persistence in painting these scenes: in Buangkok, Seletar Camp and Seletar River. Their existence in watercolour renditions is a testament to the emotions and deep longing by one man in giving due recognition to his familial heritage as well as those sensory experiences that made him the man he has become today.”
As President of the Singapore Watercolour Society, Seah is not only a prolific watercolourist; he also dedicates his time cultivating bonsai trees in his garden. Along with the upcoming Lunar New Year, Seah will also be showcasing 10 exquisite potted bonsai at this exhibition.
Unchanged For 50 Years runs from 20 January through to 6 February 2011. The gallery is open from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11.00 am to 5.00 pm on Sundays and public holidays and is closed on Mondays. The exhibition is held at SBin Art Plus at 140 Hill St. MICA Building #01-10/11/12 Singapore 179369. Contact number: 6883 2001. http://www.sbinartplus.com
About the artist
Seah Kang Chui (b. 1945) is the President of the Singapore Watercolour Society. Between 1991 to 1996, he has participated in exhibitions in Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Japan and Hong Kong. In 1993, he was sponsored by SILKAIR to paint the cityscapes of Jakarta and in 1995, Kang Chui’s artwork was one of the 70 works selected by then President Ong Teng Cheong for The President’s Charity Art Exhibition – The President’s Watercolour Selections, an exhibition that took the Singapore art scene into a wider dimension. Seah has won two Highly Commended Awards at the UOB Painting of the Year competitions in 1992 and 1996.
